Pencil



June 3 1924 kleiY :s

H. E. GOLBER PENCIL Filed Sept. l5. 1921 INVENT 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 #YM/WV 5f 50555@ m5 HTTURNEY' June 3 1924;

H. E. GOLBER PENCIL Filed sem.v 15.

1921 2 shears-sneer 2 HIE FVTTRNEY,

stent .lune 3, i924.

E lS T A T E n Gorman, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

renom Application led September 15, 1921. Serial No. 500,879.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, HYMAN E. GOLBER, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Pencils, of which the following isa specification.

The present invention has relation to lead pencils, and has particular reference to the type of mechanical pencils in which a stick of lead may be inserted and advanced by a simple rotation of some part` of the pencil casing. Several 'pencils of the type referred 'to l5 have successfully reached the market, some having attained wide distribution, and most of these pencils have one feature in common, namely a propeller rod, which is movable forward and back by a simple rotation of an element or part of the body of the pencil. In order to reload such pencil it is' necessary to turn this element a great number of times inorder to retract the' propeller rod, and after insertin a new stick of' lead it is often necessary to o some more turning until the pro eller rod reaches this new stick of lead. e principal object of my invention is the provision of "a pencil of the type referred to, and of such construction, that the refilling operation ma be completely performed andthe prope ler rod correctly adjusted relative :to the refiller lead, without resorting to such tedious and tardy t'urning operations. lAnother object is to rovide a simple, substantial and inexpenslve structure of pleasin appearance; A further oblject is to provi e a mechanical pencil which will compare favorably in weight withv the ordinary wooden pencil,- as it vappears before 40 it has been shortened by resharpening.

'In order to attain-the objects ustmentioned I have provided certain novel combinations, which I shallv now proceed to describe, and drawings exhibiting structures e5 inl which the important features of the invention are embodied, are hereto annexed.

' In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a sectlonalsideelevation of theI pencil of my invention,

Figs. 2 to 7 are fragmentary and detail views of the pencil illustrated in Fig. 1,

Fi 8 shows a similar pencil, but slightly simp itied,

of the barrel is mounted a ferrule 3, which also -may be identical in shape with the ferrule used oncommon pencils, and it may in that case be fitted with the usual rubber eraser 4.' The ferrule is, however, not permanently fastened, as in ordinary pencils, but it -is made tot the barrel tightly, and it is capable of removal' in order to gain access to a magazine chamber 1, which extends into the rear end of the barrel. The frontv end of the barrel 1 may preferably be fitted with a light ferrule 5, capable of protecting the end'of the barrel againstwear and abuse, and from the front end extends a cylindrical bore 1h into the barrel to a point near the magazine chamber 1.l The wooden tip 2 isconical in shape, and it is securely mounted on a light metal tube 7, which latter is adapted to support a stick of lead 6, and this tube is shaped at the front end to close tightly on the lead, so as to prevent rotation of the lead while writing with the pencil. This may be accomplished, as indicated in the drawing, by cutting a pluralit of slits 7 in the front end of the tube, w` ereupon this end of the tube is swa ed down around an arboravery triie sma ler in diameter than thev lead, as well known to those versed in the art. The rear end of the tube 7 is perfectly smooth and of a diameter to fit the bore 1b of vthe' pencil barrel. As a consequence it is seen that the ti is attached to and removed from the barrell) simply by sliding the rear end of the tube 7 in or out. y

Aside from the verv simple propelling mechanism, which will be described presently, the foregoing completes the description of the pencil. The magazine can accom- `modate several sticks of lead, and the ferrule is readily pulled oli andu again re laced when it is desired to remove a stick o lead.

IOS

dicated in Fig. 2, or from the front, if desired, whereupon the tip is pushed back in placeand the pencil is ready for writing purposes. x

In the barrel bore 1b is placed a square tube 10, and abutting the front end of this tube is firmly seated a plug 12, which in turn is shaped to maintain a rotatable clutch member 13 longitudinally immovable. It is noticed that this clutch member is shaped to engage the rear end of the lead guide 7. Within the square tube is placed a propeller screw 11, the rear end of which ias been flattened to v`form a shoe 11, and this shoe is made wide enough to fit the tube 10 diagonally, as best shown in Fig. 4:, whereby the screw is free to slidev longitudinally within the tube, but held against relative rotation. The propeller screw is shown provided with right hand threads, and it is shaped to ride in corresponding screw threads 13a of the member 13.

From the foregoing description it is seen that a rotation of the tip 2 to the right results in a corresponding rotation of the clutch member. As the latter cannot move longitudinally it is noticed, that such rotation has the eect of drawing the propeller screw forward, thereby in turn advancing the lead 6. This opera-tion may be repeated until all the lead in the stick. 6 is used up, whereupon the tip is withdrawn from the barrel and a new lead inserted, as indicated. llf the structure had been made like other pencils of this type, it would have been necessary, before removing the tip to insert a new stick, to turn the tip to the left agreat many times. until the propeller screw had been 'fully retracted, but due to the novel features of construction herein presented, among which is included a very quick lead of the threads on the propeller screw, it is not necessary to resort to such slow turning mcvements 1n order to retract the propeller ro Having taken a stick of lead from the magazine and placed it in the lead guide of the tip, the operator may place his index finger on the end of the tip (in order to prevent the lead coming through) and push the tip back into place. it is found that the lead causes the screw to recede during this pushing movement, and that the clutch members become re-engaged, whereupon the pencil is ready and properly adjusted for use.

The details of the clutclmembers' are best shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 'Z'.4 The member 13 is made with a pair of prongs 13b which, as mentioned, are shaped to engage a corresponding pair of notches 7b of the lead guide 7. Theseprongs and the rear face, of the tube 7 may conveniently be made somewhat beveled, substantially as shown in Fig. 5, in order that the parts may slip into proper engagement when the tip is pushed into place,

Lasarte a result not diflicult to obtain, because the member 13 ordinarily is turning while the tip is entering the barrel. The body por tion of said member is made slightly smaller in diameter than the bore 1b, in order that it may be free to rotate within said bore; it is made with an annular groove 13, and its rear end is further reduced in diameter, both for the purpose of fitting the plug 12. Through the latter is first bored a hole 12a, lwhich. corresponds in size to the groove diaineter 13, whereupon its rear end 12b is rebored large enough to accommodate the flange 13d of the clutch member. Finally a T-slot milling cutter is sunk into the side of the plug, wherebyv the opening is cut, through which the clutch member is inserted. The plug' 12 has been made slightly oversize, so that it can be driven tightly into the wooden barrel of the pencil, after the clutch member 13 first has been inserted, and when once it has been forced into place, it is evident that it will hold said member against axial displacement.

The structure of Fig. 8 is in most respects similar to the one already described, yet it is somewhat simpler and cheaper to manufacture. The barrel 30 may be exactly like the barrel of said hereinbefore described pencil. The tip 31 may also be identical in shape, but in this structure it is found that the rear end of the lead guide 32 has been swaged down around a threaded arbor, in order to provide screw threads for the propeller screw 33. It is an important point to note, thatin these structures of my invention the propeller screw nearly fits the lead guide, having only very few one thousandths of an inch clearance .within the guide. For this reason it is only possible to load the tip 31 from the front. The drawings show considerable clearance within the lead guides, but I wish it understood that this is incorrect, and is only resorted to in order to make tigri, drawings clearer and more easily reada e. 1

The plug 12 is in this pencil replaced by a plug 34, which differs from the former' in the shape of the passage for the propeller screw, `as best shown in Fig. 10. The rear end of this passage has been enlarged to a diameter equal to| the diagonal distance within the square tube 35, and this enlargement is dee enough to accommodate the shoe 33 of t e propeller.

lll() TWhen the lead in the guide of this pencil has been fully used up a new stick of lead is taken from the magazine 30a, where-y upon the tip 3l is pulled out far enough for the shoe 33 to lodge in the said enlargement 34". A continued pull causes the propeller screw to rotate in the screw threads of the tip, and in the said recess 34h, and thereby to recede until it finally leaves the tip entirely. The lead is then inserted from the front end of the tip, and the latter is pushed back into place, making the pencil ready for use. the tip entirely from the barrel, as it enables the owner of the pencil to clean the parts and to look through the tip to see if the vpassage through the tip is clear of lead fragments.

-On the other hand it may be found that the user will lcome to prefer a mechanism which does not come entirely apart, in which case the operation of reloading merely consists in pulling the tip out as far as it lwill go, and then pushi it, back again, a ver simple and quic operation, indeed.

simple way of providing a stop, which will prevent the entire disengagement of the tip, is illustrated in the drawing. The screw threads ofthe propeller do not quite reach the front end of the rod, as a consequence E@ be found desirable to have the shoe of said rod still in engagement with the square tube,

' substantially as indicated in Fig. 9, in order forms rounded corners 33".

to make certain that the rod can advance far enou h'to expel every remaining fragment of t e worn out lead.v In flattening the rear end of the propeller screw, to form the shoe 33, it is found that the spreading metal These corners are apt to dig into the edge of the plug erforation 34, and to cause the parts to ind, when the tip is being pulled out, and the shoe as a consequence revolves within the recess 34h. By careful machining of said corners this diiculty could be eliminated, but I prefer to place a small anti-friction washer 36 between the shoe and the' edge of the perforation, because of its cheapness, and for the reason that it offers `a moredurable wearing surface than would:be obtained by permitting the corners of the rod to ride on the edge.

It was hereinbefore pointed out that the lpropeller screw of my l invention substantially lits the leadguide, and I wish nowto state that the outside diameters of this screw and of the stick of lead are approxionly for one stick of lead, making a collision between two sticks of lead im ossible, and makin it also impossiblevfor t e end of the prope er to become jammed between t It has certain advantages to remove lead and -the wall of thel ulde, a condition vusually found-in pencils o this type.

The word barrel hereinbefore used has been.l chosen to denote the rear end of the pencil. It is bar-rel shaped so far as it surrounds the magazine, but it is notrequired to be otherwise barrel shaped. Nor does the barrel necessarily have lto lbe long and the tip short.V In the preferred form 'of my inven tion, as illustrated in the drawings, the joint between the barrel and tip kis located at the beginning ofthe tip taper, because it had been found a convenient place, and for n.0y

other reason. If desired, the oint of juncture may be brought further fback, causin the sqluare tube to project when the penci is pul ed apart, in which case the plugs 12 or 34 would have-to be suitably fastened to `said tube. `The part of the casing taken away from the barrel would then be added to the tip, causing the lead ide to be more, or perhaps entirely covered.u by wood. The onlyobjection which I have found to such construction is that, when the writer presses very hard on the pencil, in writing, the rear end, or barrel, of the pencil is apt to be forced out of engagement. with tip. In the structure shown in the drawings, the person using the pencil will hold the pencil at or above the joint, because the tip is too short to get a'good hold of, and it is seen that,

Athe harder he may press against the paper,

while writing, the harder does he also "press lthe parts of the pencil together.

I claim: 1. In a pencil, a two part casing,ra propeller rod within the casing and advanceable y a relative rotation of the two parts, said rod retractable by a relative axial movement of the said parts.

2. In a pencil, the combination with a barrel and a tip, of a propeller rod advanceable within said barrel and tip by a relative rotation of the two and retractable within the parts' by a relative axial movement of said two parts.

3. In a pencil, the combination with a barrel and a tip, of a propeller rod, and a stick of lead, the rod and lead advanceable by a relative rotation of the barrel and tip, the

rod retractable in said tip by pulling the tip straight out of the barrel, and retract- 'able within the barrel by pushing the tip back into place.

V 4'. The combination with a barrel anda tip, of a propeller rod, means normally maintaining said rod non-rotatable` relative to said barrel, means normally maintainin the rod rotatable relative to the tip, said A'latter means releasable by pulling the tip out of the barrel, whereby the rod is caused to recede within the tip. l

5l In a pencil, a two art casing, a propeller rod movable wit in said casing, a clutch within the casingcompelling the rod to advance in response to a relative rotation of the casing parts, said clutch separable by a relative axial movement of the parts, which movement compels a retraction of the rod and clears the casing for reloading.

6. In a pencil, the combination with a barrel and a tip slidable into the barrel, of a propeller rod advanceable wit-hin the barrel and tip by a relative rotation of the barrel and tip, tlie abutting faces of said barrel and tip forming a clutch which prevents said rod from being fo`rced back by the pressure against the lead, in writing, said Ell rod retractable by an axial disengaging and reengaging movement of said clutch.

7. ln a pencil, the combination with` a barrel, a tip,'and a stick of lead, of a propeller screw having substantially the same outer diameter as the said stick of lead, said tip provided with a lead tube which also is substantially the same internal diameter as the screw and lead, the tip having screw threads in which the propeller screw is seated, the threads of the two parte steep enough to permit the screw to spin in the tip when the latter is pulled out of the barrel.

8. ln a pencil, a barrel, a tip slidable into said barrel, clutch members becoming interf connected by the insertion of the tip, thereby compelling the rod to advance in response to a relative rotation of the barrel and tip, said members again separable by pulling the tip out of the barrel, said pullin movement operating to retract the said ro 9. In a pencil, a barrel, a tip, a propellerrod slidable within the barrel and normally rotatable with the barrel, a nut engaging said rod and rotatable with said ti whereby a relative rotation of the barre and tigv causes the rod to advance through the sai tip, means within the barrel and co-o erat-A in with the rod, when the tip is eing axially withdrawn from the barrel lto permit rotation of the rod within the barrel for the purpose ofretracting the rod within the tip.

10. ln a pencil, a barrel, a ti a propeller rod slidable within and rotata le with said barrel for advancement through said tip,

accenna ment of the tip relative to the barrel is made possible, during which movement the rod is caused to recede within the tip by an axial movement of the tip.

11. In a pencil, a casing made in two portions, a propeller rod movable within said casing, means operating t maintain said'rod non-rotatable relative to one portion and rotatable relative to the other, said means made inoperative by pulling the casing portions apart axially, said pulling operation causing the rod to spin backward in the latter casing portion.

12. ln a pencil, a casing comprising a bar/rel and a tip, a threaded propeller rod seated in screw threads within the casing, said rod compelled to advance in response to a relative rotation of the barrel and tip, y

'the screw threads of said rod being so steep dependently rotatable of the other, whereby a relative rotation of the two parts causes the screw to advance until, when ullymdvanced, it becomes rotatable independently of both parts, the screw threads being so steeptliat a subsequent axial movement permits the screw to spin relative to said sleeve and thereby to receive within said second casing part.

14. ln a mechanical pencil, a propeller screw and nut, the threads of said parte steep enough to permit the one to spin relative to the other in response to a relative axial movement of said parts.

1,5. In a encil, a two part casing, a threaded lead) propeller screw non-rotatable in the other art, a stick of lead, said guide, screw and eadbeing of substantially the same diameter, the screw threads being steep enou h to permit the screw and guide to rotate re atively in response to an axial movement ot the casing parts.

In testimony whereof l have hereunto exed my signature.

HYMAN E. GLBER.

guide in one of said parts, a 

